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Generation 3 synth
Third generation synths are the apex of Institute's research into creating a race of servants necessary to maintain their subterranean habitat. Background The most advanced synthetics created by the Institute are fundamentally different from their predecessors, the result of nearly five decades of research, from 2178 to 2227. The research used a sample of the Forced Evolutionary Virus and was intended to produce effective synthetic organics, but it ground to a halt in March 2224, as the research team concluded that the organic synth project could not proceed despite perfecting two FEV strains for the project. Radiation-induced hereditary damage proved too much of an obstacle.FEV research notes Before developing the first truly organic synths, the Institute would prototype the gen 3 synths as previously proven mechanical synths like generations 1 and 2. The two prototypes were developed distinctly from each other, one testing independent development through experiences (DiMA) and one based on multiple alternating pre-existing personalities derived from pre-War brain scans (Detective Nick Valentine). Each would develop their personalities with promising results but would both escape sometime before the Institute could continue experimenting. In 2227, the organic synth project was spun off from the FEV research initiative due to the acquisition of Shaun and his undamaged pre-War genetic code. He was recovered by Conrad Kellogg,The Sole Survivor: "Human synths? Really?" Shaun: " The Institute endeavored to create synthetic organics. The most logical starting point, of course, was human DNA. Plenty of that was available, of course, but it had all become corrupted. In this... wasteland... radiation affected everyone. Even in their attempts to shield themselves from the world above, members of the Institute had been exposed. Another source was necessary. But then the Institute found me, after discovering records from Vault 111. An infant, frozen in time, protected from the radiation-induced mutations that had crept into every other human cell in the Commonwealth. I was exactly what they needed. And so it was my DNA that became the basis of the synthetic organics used to create every human-like synth you see today. I am their Father. Through Science, we are family. The synths, me... and you." (Shaun's dialogue)Out of Time and his DNA became the basis of the third generation of synths in a project led by Dr. Walter.Implant update session No. 7‎ The infant Shaun became Father to a whole family of engineered synthetic beings. Of course, tests were not without setbacks; in 2229, a defective 3rd generation infiltrator caused the Broken Mask Incident, vilifying the Institute in the eyes of the Commonwealth.Fear the Future? Biology Despite sequential numbering, third generation synths are unrelated to their mechanical counterparts, but are derived from Shaun's pre-War DNA extensively modified using the Institute's own research into the Forced Evolutionary Virus, combining the advantageous adaptations encoded into FEV with the versatility of the human body shape. This allowed the Institute to create a variety a of synths of varying races and appearances despite the base DNA coming from only one source. The Sole Survivor: "Human synths? Really?" Shaun: " The Institute endeavored to create synthetic organics. The most logical starting point, of course, was human DNA. Plenty of that was available, of course, but it had all become corrupted. In this... wasteland... radiation affected everyone. Even in their attempts to shield themselves from the world above, members of the Institute had been exposed. Another source was necessary. But then the Institute found me, after discovering records from Vault 111. An infant, frozen in time, protected from the radiation-induced mutations that had crept into every other human cell in the Commonwealth. I was exactly what they needed. And so it was my DNA that became the basis of the synthetic organics used to create every human-like synth you see today. I am their Father. Through Science, we are family. The synths, me... and you." (Shaun's dialogue)The Institute terminals; Terminal, 2287.2.10: "Entered By: Virgil.B Notes: Nothing new. Always the same. Have entered formal complaint with Directorate; these tests are not bringing in any valuable information. The organics project was spun off decades ago. Why do we insist on continuing this?"The Institute terminals; Terminal, 2277.7.10: "Entered By: Syverson.C Notes: Latest round of testing complete. Results are all within expected parameters. Informed Dr. Zimmer directly, as he had ordered the tests personally. He seemed annoyed with the results; unsure what he was looking for. He declined to specify why he wanted the tests run to begin with."The Institute terminals; Terminal, 2286.4.10: "Entered by: Virgil.B Notes: I have officially assumed the lead role on the project after Dr. Syverson's passing. Latest round of subjects show results similar to previous test runs over last 5 years. No statistical deviation noted." Synthetic organics continue to perform well; the necessity of further tests is unexplained." Rather than being manufactured from parts and requiring frequent repair, organic synths are assembled inside the Robotics laboratories from scratch: The skeleton is assembled by giant machines and serves as basis for artificial soft tissues woven on top of it, including analogues for all human components: Brain, lungs, digestive tract, muscles and so on. The unfinished synth's organs are then kickstarted using powerful electric charges and placed in a fluid bath that completes the activation process by rapidly covering the synth in artificial skin. The synth then emerges with the mental faculties of a full-grown adult human. The blank synth is then ushered for processing: Programming and job assignment.Synth manufacture process inside Robotics at The Institute. Though entirely biological, each Gen 3 synth contains a neurological implant inside their brain allowing them to be "programmed" and manipulated via voice commands. This implant cannot be detected or removed without killing the synth. The resulting third gens are unlike humans and some liberated synths do not consider themselves human at all. The reasons for this are multiple, chief among them is the assembly process.The Sole Survivor: "How do they make synths?" Glory: "Damned if I know. The machines are... massive. Complicated. Not like anything I've seen out here. " (Glory's dialogue) Other reasons include the fact that synths do not require sleep at all to function properly, are completely immune to disease (though not to the effects of radiation) and don't require the intake of food or water to generate energy for their bodies certainly contribute.The Sole Survivor: "What makes them superior?" Max Loken: "The list of improvements is exhaustive. I can talk for an hour and still not cover all of it. Imagine what you could accomplish if you could live without fear of hunger or disease. Imagine what you could create if you could use every waking moment of your life as you saw fit, with no need of sleep? Like I said, a momentous time." (Max Loken's dialogue) Of course, synths are provided with all the requisite components to process food and extract energy from it via digestion and even appreciate taste. All third generation synths share an affinity for Fancy Lads Snack Cakes, mystifying Institute scientists. However, they are physically incapable of gaining or losing weight.The Institute terminals; Binet quarters terminal, Fancy Lads Snack Cakes: "It just doesn't make any sense. I've run the diagnostics. Quadruple-checked the neural mappings. Done comparative analyses of taste buds. Tracked digestive patterns. Hell, I've even gone so far as to simply ASK several of them, and still, I'm no closer to answering the question: Why do Gen 3 synths like to eat Fancy Lads Snack Cakes? I mean, sure, they have the capacity to experience taste. Every Gen 3 possesses the synthetic equivalent of the requisite receptor cells. But why this? And why all of them? Good thing it's physically impossible for a Gen 3 to actually gain weight and succumb to obesity. Wouldn't that be quite the Achilles' Heel? Humanity's most impressive technological achievement - laid low by junk food." Upgrades Third generation synths undergo constant upgrades in a manner similar to robots. Where human bodies require careful surgery and complications are common, synthetic organics can be modified extensively without fear of complications. The most experimental upgrades concern their synthetic brains, through the enhancement of specific areas. The Institute terminals; unique project: "Overriding directive to not alter our synths' basic functioning notwithstanding, Father has granted clearance for a rather unique project. In select Gen 3 units, the synthetic brain is indeed capable of accepting specific enhancements to the visual cortex, basal ganglia and right parietal cortex. The result is substantially improved combat effectiveness, due to two factors: 1.) An increased understanding of weapon accuracy, to the extent that the combatant can actually visualize the percentage of effectively hitting targets (or smaller areas on those targets). 2.) An altered sense of perception that mimics the effect of slowing, or even stopping, time. Recommend we commence surgery and field trials on appropriate operatives in the near future." For example, 2287 saw a major upgrade to synthetic optic nerve tissue for over a thirty synthetics, increasing visual acuity by 10 to 12 percent.The Institute terminal entries; robotics terminal, current project: "PROJECT IDENT 7998756453 Status: Approved, in progress. See Implementation Status below for details. Description: Implementation of new synthetic optic nerve tissue Goals: 10%-12% increase in visual acuity UPGRADE IMPLEMENTATION STATUS Units Scheduled: 19 Units Upgraded: 12 NOTES: "Next scheduled units: C4-61, J7-95. Other units scheduled and ready to fill in for the duration of the upgrade" ABinet "Upgrade completed on units T7-22, P8-74, D5-58." MLoken "Next scheduled units: T7-22, P8-74, D5-58. Other units scheduled and ready to fill in for the duration of the upgrade." ABinet "Upgrade completed on units V5-28, S3-22, R4-46." MLoken "Next scheduled units: V5-28, S3-22, R4-46. Other units scheduled and ready to fill in for the duration of the upgrade." ABinet" Other upgrades the Institute implements in its synths are: * Software package updates, which can provide incremental increases in eg. firing accuracy. The software used by third generation synths may become bugged and require patching.The Institute terminals; robotics terminal, maintenance requests: "Submitted By: Oberly.N "Found unit J2-84 cleaning board room. For the third day in a row. I don't think this unit has ever actually LEFT the board room" software patched, unit returned to service Submitted By Ayo.J "Unit X4-72 complaining of blurred vision in right eye." to correct w/o permanent damage, unit wiped and reassigned to Facilities division Submitted By Filmore.A " Primary drive breakdown on B3-47. Third unit this month! Can we please look into this?" dispatched Submitted By Thompson.E "Looks like latest navigation software update has some issues. Found two Gen 1s trying to walk through walls." software updated, all Gen 1 units will require patch. Facilities notified. Submitted By Binet.L "Hey dad. Eve is having trouble speaking today. Lot of stuttering. Can you please look into it?" rare looping issue in speech subroutines, corrected and patched" * Transfusions, which swap out the entire synthetic blood used in organic synths for superior types that provide improved clotting and infection resistance. Artificial blood strains are identified with codes and the latest upgrade in 2281 switched from blood 77-01 to 90-10.The Institute terminal entriess; robotics terminal, upcoming projects: "PROJECT IDENT 3846106734 Status: Approved, awaiting implementation. Description: Motor reflex response time improvements Goals: 7% increase in motor reflex reaction time PROJECT IDENT 8102948562 Status: Approved, awaiting implementation. Description: Targeting software package upgrade Goals: 5%-8% increase in ranged weapon accuracy PROJECT IDENT 5810274864 Status: Awaiting approval Description: Complete transfusion to replace type 77-01 synthetic blood with type 90-10 Goals: More rapid clotting, improved infection resistance" The latest models of the third generation display increased autonomous behavior, resulting in a greater number of escapes. Alan Binet, head of Robotics and their chief designer, came under suspicion, leading the SRB to order a full examination of the behavioral mapping in these models, looking for signs of interference. Identification Generation 3 synths are physically and mentally indistinguishable from ordinary humans, having lab-grown bodies of real human flesh, bones and organs instead of plastic and metal. As Dr. Roslyn Chambers found, no medical tests or procedures can identify someone as a synth without killing them (synths that infiltrate settlements, for example, only drop synth components when killed). Psychological tests, such as Covenant's SAFE test, are dubious at best. However, they are not perfect duplicates and have a few key differences from humans that are not immediately obvious: synths do not age, nor can they gain or lose weight. Discrimination Although synths would qualify as sentient beings for most of the wasteland, the Institute is keen on keeping them under their direct control as servants. The Institute knows that synths are essential to its continued existence, but despite that, the current ideology stipulates that they cannot be granted free will, as it would lead to chaos. The disastrous actions of some synths "liberated" by the Railroad are cited as evidence of that tendency. Few challenge the ideology and those that do are considered radicals. Robotics head Alan Binet is a noted radical, with his impassioned speeches about artificial sentience and machines a constant feature of Robotics. Binet is keenly aware that his words fall on deaf ears, and when reminded of the option to trade the Institute for the wasteland, he's quick to remark that he's only trying to broaden the horizons of his colleagues. His ideas are unpopular, especially when he suggests they could be the redefinition of humanity. The situation is made worse in the light of the recent increase in autonomous behavior among the latest gen-three models. Appearances The synths appear in Fallout 3 and Fallout 4. Category:Fallout 4 robots and computers